Did Peter realy kill those Muggles?

[kiricat2001 <Zarleycat@aol.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 49667

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, jodel at a... wrote:
> And we don't know a number of things about Peter which could throw 
that 
> dismissive evaluation as a "weak wizard" of by a fair amount. And 
just what 
> are the things that we DO know?
> 
> We know that at the age of 14-15, he needed all the help he could 
get to 
> manage the animagus transformation. But he DID manage it. Does this 
sound 
> like a weak wizard to you? Never mind that there were others who 
were 
> "stronger". Does becoming an animagus by the age of 15 sound weak?
> 
> We know that Rosemerta dismisses him as "that fat little boy who 
was always 
> tagging along". Little fat boys generally seem to be easily 
dismissable by 
> outside observers. They look so harmless. But are they really?
> 
> Minerva tells us that he was never quite in Black and Potter's 
league. But 
> then if there are no other consensuses to consider, *everyone* 
agrees that 
> Black and Potter were "exceptinally bright" and "exceptionally 
talented". If 
> Peter had been a couple of years older or younger and not had to 
deal with 
> them in direct competition people might have made a very different 
evaluation 
> of his abilities.

I think there is a lot of truth to this. One can be quite skilled at 
something, yet be overlooked when one is compared to people who are 
truly gifted at the same thing.  In the case of Peter, he may very 
well not been in James' and Sirius' league.  They may have been top 
honor students while Peter was a good, solid B level.  That doesn't 
make him stupid by any means.  

And, I think this helped blind Sirius and James to Peter's 
abilities.  In comparison to themselves, Peter was not as strong or 
as magical or however you want to describe it.  He needed their help 
in completing the Animagus transformation.  Their view of him as not 
as adept as themselves contriuted to the Fidelius Charm fiasco.  
Sirius himself says that the reason he felt it would work was that 
Voldemort would never think that someone as weak as Peter would be 
used.  It was a fatal blindness.

I've always felt that Peter was one of those people that perhaps 
doesn't push themselves to excel.  Plus, in school, he had several 
very bright friends who could be counted on to help him.  Maybe he 
coasted whenever he could, did what came easily to him, and then 
relied on his friends to help him with the really hard stuff.  That 
way he got what he needed, but didn't have to work exceedingly hard 
to do it, because James and Sirius, and maybe Remus, too, were there 
to provide the answers.  Peter may even have cultivated, whether 
deliberately or subconsciously, a persona of someone who always 
needed help from his friends.  That set the stage for their 
interactions as adults, with dire consequences.


Marianne